Leader of the opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay reportedly met in Chennai on Saturday. Following their meeting, the two leaders stepped away for a cafe outing, with coffee, cookies and tiramisu on the menu.
Gandhi met TVK chief Vijay at his suburban Neelankarai residence, news agency PTI reported, citing party sources. During the meeting, the two leaders discussed several political issues.
Gandhi and Vijay stepped out of the residence and chose to walk together surrounded by heavy security, a senior functionary in the TVK stated, the report added.
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Cappuccino, tiramisu, and cookies
Following the meeting, Gandhi and Vijay visited Bask by Coffee, a cafe in the neighbourhood. The two leaders had a cappuccino, tiramisu, and cookies, the report added. The Congress leader then proceeded to a hotel in Chennai.
What Rahul Gandhi and Vijay discussed in meeting
{{/usCountry}}What Rahul Gandhi and Vijay discussed in meeting
{{/usCountry}}According to the report, party sources noted that Gandhi and Vijay discussed long-term political cooperation within their state alliance.
Although there is no official statement on their meetings, it added. Here are some of the topics reportedly touched upon in the meeting:
- Structural alignment and coordinating governance policies between the Congress and the TVK
- Youth-centric issues such as unemployment and education reforms
- Local opposition to the NEET examination
- Opposition to Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and allegations of voter roll discrepancies
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'Chhatron Ki Goonj' event
In the evening, Congress leader Gandhi travelled to the Island Grounds for the youth outreach programme, 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' (Maanavargalin Kural) event.
According to a police official cited in the report, access to the event is restricted to QR code entry.
Earlier in the day, Congress MP Manickam Tagore said that more than one lakh students had registered online for the 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' interaction programme, news agency ANI reported.
“This time he's coming for a student interaction program in Tamil Nadu, where tonight in the evening he's going to address the students of Tamil Nadu. More than a lakh students, one lakh students have registered on the online QR code registration,” Tagore said.
"Without a QR code, we are not going to allow anybody. And there are restrictions we have put on those selection processes also, who are going to be the students who are going to be entering here," the Congress MP added.
(with inputs from agencies)